NW councils share £13m

NORTH West councils are to share £13m in extra funding from the Government.

The cash will be used to “help meet needs and local priorities during the economic crisis. This  funding comes from the Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme and rewards councils for successfully promoting economic growth in their area.

Manchester City Council gets the largest slice of the cake – £3.5m out of the total pot of £13.6m; Liverpool receives £751,000 – less than Stockport which gets £841,000; Lancashire £687,000; Cheshire £589,000 and Tameside more than £700,000.

Halton Council received the smallest sum – just £699.89.

Local Government Minister John Healey said: “Over the last three years, the LABGI scheme has made a real difference to local communities – in these difficult economic times, it has an even more important role to play.

“Different parts of the country will be affected by this downturn in different ways and to different degrees – as these pressures are being felt by families and businesses, councils are best placed to provide real help locally, tailored to local needs, to help people to stay in their homes and their jobs.”